Exiles of the Beyond Part III
by Susie of Anna
Summary: Long after the Ice Bridge, the Beyond is in prime once more. But war is approaching, and everything becomes risky. The Wolves of the Beyond always find trust in themselves or Lupus, but now they must look to a pup to free them from their captivity. T for little violence.
1. A Little Large Problem

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

**Hello, my fellow readers! Welcome to the one and only, Exiles of the Beyond Part III: the Hunted. If you have not read Part I or Part II, don't read another word of this one. This is probably the last in my Exiles of the Beyond series… sad day. Well anyway, this takes place, as you can guess, after the series. If you have not read Exiles of the Beyond or Exiles of the Beyond Part II, I forbid you to read this. It is very important you read those two first, **_**in order**_**. If you have read them, please enjoy the continuing story of Pancake and the Exiles!**

Chapter 1

A Little Large Problem

The wind was soft upon the brush and grasses beside the river that cut the Beyond in two. There grazed an old, lone caribou, her pelt like an old rug and her expression dull. She had no idea of her peril.

Out of the grasses leapt a beautiful, elegant, but small creature. She was a wolf, not very hungry but it wanted something to kill. Her fur was a bright red with a white belly, looking through striking yellow eyes. Though her element of surprise was excellent, she came too soon and scared the game far away, letting out a groan. She was two years old now; enough with the cry-baby actions.

"Happened again, didn't it?" Pancake asked from behind. "You're getting weaker, it seems."

Alasha turned around. "I bet you could have done it." she snuffed, trotting back to Pancake.

The shepherd shrugged. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Young?" Alasha laughed. "You're what? Four years old now? That's young, if you ask me. You fight just as well."

"You'd better get home," said the shepherd, turning back towards the east.

Pancake sighed; it had been a year and a half since the Ember was destroyed and the Beyond renewed, and life had gone back to normal, almost. She was still a Dog of the Watch, but there had been some problems with the MacNaans. Those wolves had threatened to destroy them unless they got their share of land. Now all land between the Outermost (including the Outermost) to the river was theirs. That was not good; it was too close to Thunderheart's Den. The MacHeaths now owned all land from the Sark's cave down to the Shadow forest. They shared their land with the MacNaans, for it was the two of them who had shared the Outermost.

"No, I am not going to give you my cave," the Sark growled, shoving a MacNaan wolf back. "You think I can store my jugs anywhere else?" She was glad that the Ember had fixed her jugs as well, though the scents were dull. The MacNaans and MacHeaths had been going crazy for her land ever since they founded their territories. The clans were very, very small. The MacNamaras only had the Namara, Katria, Airmead, and maybe two more. The MacDuncans had more, though: Liam was chieftain, ruling over Jake (who was now a skreeleen), Dearlea, Mhairie, Caila, Abban (who was almost an adult), Heep, and a few others. The MacAngus Clan was ruled by their new chieftain, Aldwyn, after his father Mirlo had stepped down. There were maybe three wolves in that clan, and most were survivors who had wandered back. The MacDonegals were very lonely, with only about four lone wolves and maybe two true MacDonegals in theirs. The remaining wolves were Watch Wolves, or MacDuncans, like the Whistler. The MacNaans and MacHeaths were basically the leaders of the Beyond.

The new rule for Watch Wolves was that they may become paw-fast. Faolan was paw-fast with Edme, and Snowdon with Leitha. Pancake now had to get back to them before nightfall.

She trotted through the Hot Gates, looking about at the flips that the remaining Watch Wolves executed, looking in at the restored Ember of Hoole. It was then that Banja trotted up. "Pancake!" she barked, approaching from her Watch. "Fengo wants to see you."

_Of course he does_, Pancake thought. Fengo had always wanted to see her ever since the Watch was back to normal. So she trotted up into the special cave where the Fengo sat. "Fengo… you wanted to see me?" she asked, sitting up straight.

Faolan turned around, nodding. "Yes, I did," the Fengo replied. "Don't I usually?"  
Pancake smiled. "Yes, sir,"

Fengo sat down, a sad look on his face. "Alright, enough with the respect. And stop calling me Fengo. Even Edme has started to call me that; it's killing me. I wish Finbar would come back to life."

"You're a great Fengo," said Pancake. "It's been a year since you became Fengo, and so far things have been going back to normal, sort of. What are you afraid of?"  
Faolan looked at her with a troubled look. "I can't stop thinking of the Ice Bridge… that night I asked you to become my paw-fast."

"That was over a year ago, Faolan. Things have changed."

"I know. I don't love you like I did then. I still love you dearly as a friend, but I never realized how much I loved Edme. She's pregnant now, and has been for a few weeks. I gave you up for her, because, no offence, she's perfect. And I would not ever trade her for anyone… but you never did go to Narkrin. I don't know why you said no that night, but I'm glad you did. But why did you and Narkrin never become paw-fast?"

Pancake sat closer to Faolan. "He and I…" she paused, thinking of Narkrin. They had been quite lonely, staying in Colorado most of the time Faolan was trying to place the Beyond back in order. That took a few months, and everyone had expected Narkrin to propose in that time. "We're friends."

"If you're just friends, then why don't you say yes to Clark?"

"I've been meaning to talk about that," Pancake laughed. "He and I are siblings."

"That's… sudden…"

"Yes, it is. I found out the night you proposed to me." She laughed. "I haven't told anyone yet… no one here, at least. It's just that…"  
Faolan looked to her. "Just what, Pancake?" he asked.

"I was super happy when the Beyond was alive again. But we never thought that the MacNaans and MacHeaths would take over. What if they decide that there's no need for the little wolves anymore and try to wipe us out?"

"There aren't that many; you know that," said Faolan. "It would be possible to round up just as many wolves at home, right?"  
"I guess we do have just as many, only these wolves are much bigger than our wolves. The only dog I know that could qualify as a large Beyond wolf would be Max. He's not a very enthusiastic dog, though; I don't see how Cookie could have fallen in love with him."  
"I hope you realize every time to talk about your world and your friends I'm completely lost."  
Pancake sighed. "If I tried to explain it I would have to go way back to explain why things are the way they are. There are hardly any known heroes when it comes to animals. Humans are the ones to accomplished giant deeds, some aren't even very famous, but they were still great. Theologians like John Calvin, Saint Augustine, and the great modern day one, John Piper. Then there are heroes like Paul Revere, George Washington. And there are those who are remembered for being awesome like Laura Ingles and Elmanzo Wilder."

"How do you know so much about those two legged people?"  
"Noel, my master, had annoying history classes and other things for school. What else was I supposed to do but read with her? There are many things you should know about our world. My friends have many stories, too. Like the first adventures of our time, beginning in the pack of Rence! Oh, Faolan, those tales are so memorable. Why, that cunning wolf was stronger than any wolf in the pack!" she was quiet, looking at Faolan intensely.

"Fine," he muttered. "Tell me the story."

"Alright, so it began with Rence and his wife Inene, and they had three awesome pups. Rence thought he could do anything, until he met Mud. Now, Mud's not that big, but he can sure intimidate people. I'm not sure now; I haven't seen Mud in that big of a fight, but he can somehow dominate. So the prideful wolf Rence challenged him to a fight to shut him up (Mud gets super annoying sometimes)…"  
As Pancake told her story, Gwynneth and Arthur were out flying together. They were very close when it came to friendship, having gone through such adventures, and now did almost everything together. Now they were being bored and flying over the Beyond. That is usually how it came with Arthur, for so many rumors had escaped since someone had spread the news that it was he who had saved the Beyond. Some were now asking him, "How did you do it? I heard you plunged into the lava to grab the Ember!"  
Arthur would only laugh. "Well, apparently you heard really wrong. Do I look like an idiot to you? Diving into lava…"

Flying with Gwynneth relieved this annoyance, especially since the smith understood him. Sure, he was a graymalkin, but he was very pleasant when it came to talking. But as they spoke and laughed together, there came a very distraught howl. So the two owls alighted in the MacDonegal territory where the howls came from. That place was so small, only containing one pack. "What's wrong?" Gwynneth cried, hopping towards the young chieftain whose name was Nimbin (which is actually very fun to say).

"My wife…" Nimbin stuttered. "She gave birth to four pups, three girls and one a boy."

"Well, that's a good thing," Arthur said.

"Of course it is! The Beyond has had many pups born into lately from almost every pack, including the MacHeaths and MacNaans. But that's not the point! The point is that my son—my only son and rightful heir—is gone! He's stolen by some wolf. Who would do a thing like that?"

_Hmm… let's see…_ Arthur thought. _That's a really difficult question; who in the Beyond would dare take a pup? I mean, whose that vicious…?_ "Have you considered the MacNaans?" Gwynneth took the words right from Arthur's beak.

"Why, of course! Only, what am I to do? I have six wolves in my pack against, what? Sixty other wolves? I tell you, my chances are little of retrieving that pup." Nimbin sighed. "What are we supposed to do?"  
"I'll alert the Fengo!" Arthur exclaimed. "We'll be back tonight with your answer on what he thinks." With that, the two owls took flight, zooming back towards the Watch. It was, however, a couple of hours before they reached their destination.

"Then what happened?" Faolan asked, eyes wide as he listened to Pancake's story with a passionate look on his face. The Exile had been telling him the same story for over two hours, and still he had not lost interest.

"Mud told us not to argue; he told us he was going to die for our lives without question. So he walked slowly towards Stultus, realizing these were his last moments of life. I tugged on Narkrin, telling him to do something. But that stubborn wolf was with the evil wolf, Stultus, and would not go against his master's bidding. My time was running low, and if I told Mud to stop, I'd be on his bad side forever. So what did I do?"

Faolan looked like a pup. "What'd you do?" he asked quickly. "Did Mud make it alright?"  
"Stultus jumped at Mud, clawed him to the ground, and claimed victory!"

"No!" Faolan gasped.

"Yes! I clawed Narkrin on the face with anger and stormed away. Stultus was attacked and thought to be killed. I ran away. All the others were sure Mud was dead when suddenly—"

"Faolan!" Arthur and Gwynneth said together, flying in.

"Hold on you two; did he turn out alive?"

"Well yeah, only after that it turned out Stultus's pack wanted revenge for their alpha. That's when Kristina came in, only she was with Stultus's pack!"

"No way! What did Mud do; didn't Kristina save him once?"

"Are we just invisible?" Arthur pleaded.

Pancake sighed, turning to them. "What is it?"

"A pup from the MacDonegals was stolen, most likely from MacNaans!" shrieked Gwynneth. "Now are you going to keep telling your stories or are you going to do something about it?"  
Faolan and Pancake exchanged glances. "Pancake, you're going to have to put your story on pause," the Fengo said.

Pancake frowned. "Nah, I'll just tell it on the way to the MacDonegals." she and Faolan raced out of the den after the two owls (who had now taken flight), northwest. "So then, Kristina became part of the Small Annoying Ones, but she was still fighting against Mud, who was with the Exiles."

"Wait, I don't get it—the Small Annoying Ones were fighting against the Exiles?"  
"Yeah,"  
"But I thought Mud was a Small Annoying One."  
"He was, but he became an Exile because Jack exiled him. That's where we came from," Pancake explained. "Anyways, Mud met the Defenders shortly before his cousin Akello had her right hand bitten off by Xander."

"Mice have hands in your world?"  
"No! They use them as hands. Anyways, that's where I came in. Like everyone else in Mud's life, I tried to kill him."  
"What a great start."  
"Yeah. Star tried to avenge him, but I knocked her out too. Fortunately, I became an Exile right after that. I had to apologize to Narkrin for slapping him earlier, and there we were best buds again."

"So wait, Mud and Jack were best friends for ever and then they hated each other? I don't really get it; Mud's a mouse and Jack's a bat… that doesn't sound like friendship. I just don't see how they could have hated each other."

"Well, Jack pinned Mud to a tree for five hours with a sword."

"They have swords?"  
"You're hopeless."

By then, the owls above were laughing so hard Arthur almost plummeted to his death. It went on for a very long time until the MacDonegals were getting closer. "So, by then, Mud figured out that Stultus was still alive and married to Amaed."  
"Wait, I thought Amaed was against Stultus's pack."

"Ah! Haven't you been listening? Stultus, before the Winter's War ever started, helped Amaed fight a battle. They fell in love then, and got married right after Stutlus 'died.' She's a friend of Stultus—his wife. Remember? Stalker is their son. Anyway, Mud and the Small Annoying Ones were taken captive by Xander, who had the Defenders working for him. If you don't remember, the Defenders are those mice Jason, Spring, James, Peter, Tom, and Albino."

"I still think Albino is a stupid name."

"Anyways, Tom went against the Small Annoying Ones and killed James who was standing up for Mud. Then Xander told the Exiles that if they didn't come and surrender then they'd kill Mud, who was our leader at the time. We did, and eventually the Showdown took place. Right after that we met in the Beyond. But after Toby was saved and the MacHeaths were driven from Colorado, there was that really long waiting time of randomness, remember? It's before the famine, but that's when I didn't come into the Beyond for a really, really long time." Pancake went on explaining her adventures, telling of the places she had been to and the new leader of the Small Annoying Ones, Lillian, until at last she finished her story. It was then that she and Faolan ran much quicker, having caused great impatience in Nimbin.

"Finally! What can you do to help?" he yelped.

Faolan sighed. "We haven't decided much on that, though we came as soon as we heard."

There came a rustle in the bushes. Nimbin looked like he was willing to tear apart whoever it was, leg by leg. Out walked a young, dark wolf with bright brown eyes. It was difficult to see what he looked like, but he silently came in, set a pup down (the pup that had been stolen), and slipped away into the darkness.

**Duh duh duh! Tell me what you think!**

**Some more random news: I got a profile on FictionPress where I'm going to post the backstories of Pancake and Narkrin.**


	2. The Ghost

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

Chapter 2

The Ghost

"Is that the wolf who stole my pup?" Nimbin demanded.

"He appeared to be rescuing the dear thing," Pancake said as Nimbin licked his pup's head. "He was very kind for doing such a thing."

"He was probably a MacNaan or MacHeath," mumbled a MacDonegal wolf.

Pancake laughed. "I doubt he was. He would not have saved it, if so. Faolan, I do believe that this problem is solved."  
"So all that running was a waste of time?"  
"No, I got to tell you a story," Pancake laughed, turning back to the Ring.

* * *

"Da!" Myrrglosch exclaimed, trotting to his father. "Where were you?"  
"The MacDonegals had a small problem. Pancake and I were attending to it." Faolan explained. "And what are you doing at the Ring? I thought that you'd be with the MacDuncans."  
"Oh, I have been," replied Myrr. He seldom remembered the days on the Ice Bridge, for now he was almost two years old. So were all the pups who had crossed the Bridge as youths. "And they have been doing wonderfully! We have found four more stray MacDuncans, one of which is a brand new mother of _ten_ pups! Our numbers are becoming ever larger by the year!"

Pancake looked surprised. "That's fast…" she whispered. This feared her: she had discovered many things about wolves of the Beyond. They reproduced very quickly, they grew up quickly, they are much larger than the typical wolf, and they live much longer. Winks could easily be ten or eleven years of age, but it was as if she were only five or six if she were a wolf of our world. Marlo, Maya, Shadow, and the other old Watch Wolves were even older than this, though they seemed right as rain. This news brought dread into her heart; the MacNaans and MacHeaths were obviously building up as well, if the rest was true.

Just then, Zanouche the eagle swooped in. Her immense wings always drew a gasp of awe from Pancake. "Greetings," she said, rushed. "May I bring to your attentions that ten new pups have been born of the MacDuncans?"

"Yes, we were aware," Faolan nodded.

"Good. Well, this morning the mother of those pups awoke to find seven of them, along with the scent of MacNaan wolves." Zanouche explained, bringing the sign of shock onto the faces of the Watch Wolves.

"What?" Pancake gasped. "There is no way the MacNaans can be stealing wolf pups! We just came from the MacDonegals where they had a pup missing."  
"Really…?" muttered Zanouche. "That's strange. I can't imagine how MacNaan and MacHeath wolves could get from their territory to the MacDuncans without being noticed. Would you like to investigate with Eelon and I?"

Faolan grinned. "We'll be right there," he said.

* * *

Abban was doing his best to comfort the mother of the pups. The little younglings had no knowledge of their siblings' disappearance, for not even they had opened their eyes yet. "It'll be alright," Abban soothed. "I'm sure we'll find some way to get them back."  
"My two sons and my youngest daughter," the mum sobbed. "How did the MacNaans pull off such a thing? It's villainous!" She began going off mumbling things Abban could not understand; probably curses or swears.

Abban licked her cheek. "You'd better go tend to your pups now, ma'am. We'll do all we can to retrieve your pups." He hoped what he said was true. He did not think that all would be done, for possibly that would mean waging war for those pups. As far as he knew, this was the first pup napping in the Beyond so far.

As he looked out unto the dusk, he could see the sun reflecting its light onto the Ice Bridge far, far into the west. He could hardly see the Distant Blue, but he knew it was there. Pancake often spoke of journeying there. Some wolves went to hunt there by going through Colorado and into the Obea Tree. But Abban was content with the Beyond; it was his true home, the place of his birth.

While being caught in these thoughts, he did not notice a figure stirring in the shrubbery. It was not until a yelp came that he drew his attentions towards whatever it was. Out trotted a wolf as black as night, though had a white chest and belly. Clutched in his jaws was a newborn pup. The wolf, no older than Abban, set the pup down and ran back into the trees, returning with a second pup. At length, all three pups were at Abban's paws. As the wolf was about to turn away, Abban stopped him. "Who are you?" he asked.

The wolf turned. "I am he who is not known," he explained in a deep voice, soon sprouting a smile. "Mysterious, isn't it?"

"Are you a MacNaan or MacHeath?"  
The wolf smiled. "I suppose that _is _a relevant question to go with the situation." He stopped, thought, and then looked up with the same smile. "But I don't care," he said plainly. With that, he dashed off into the bushes, snickering to himself.

At that moment, Faolan, Pancake, and Myrr ran up. "We've come to investigate!" Myrr announced.

Abban gestured to the pups at his paws. "I don't think there's a need." said he quietly.

Faolan looked off into the trees. "That sneaky little pup," he whispered. "How is he stealing pups from Outclanners?"  
"…Unless he is one himself," Myrr added. "What other explanation is there?"

Pancake shrugged. "He is on our side, whoever he is. He's just so… young…"  
Faolan sighed. "Well," he snuffed. "We've, once again, wasted our time. Next time pups go missing, wait for this… this… what shall we call him?"

"How about The Ghost?" Pancake suggested with a light laugh.

Faolan grinned, beginning to trot eastward. "Sounds good to me," he replied.

* * *

It was a cool evening, definitely to Ghost's liking. He had not left them, but merely stayed and listened to their conversation. Ghost. He liked it alright. It wasn't his real name, but it could fit. His job was a very nice one: saving those little pups.

The MacNaans were almost easy to fool. Ghost did not think they were all that bad anymore, besides having such tempers. But he did think they were too simple minded. They had not discovered Pancake's world, and he had.

Silently, he slipped into Thunderheart's den, and peeked out into Colorado. It was a pleasant spring evening with mist hanging in the air around the spruces. The scent was very enjoyable, especially because Ghost preferred the smell of Colorado to that of the Beyond. His job was risky when it came to switching worlds. He feared maybe the Soda Pop Pack could catch him, or maybe Stultus.

But this time his luck was great. He ran right into Nitus, who was most likely not to tell on him. "Well, well," he smirked.

"Hullo, Nitus," Ghost smiled. "Fine day, isn't it?"  
"Pleasant. I suspect you're up to no good?"  
Ghost cringed. "No good at all; precisely the opposite. Stirring up trouble in the Beyond. They even gave me a name: Ghost. Catchy, right?"  
Nitus gave a little nod. "I suppose so. Don't build up too much trouble, 'Ghost,' for those wolves get very, very suspicious. Trust me, I know."  
Ghost grinned. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, running back in. "The MacNaans will probably make another strike! I've got to stop them."

"Have fun," Nitus called. _Curious pup,_ his thoughts mumbled.

**Sorry this one was kind of short. REVIEW!**

**And, this is a note for Random Guy who has been reviewing my stories: you NEED to get an account.**


	3. Expanded

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

Chapter 3

Expanded

Watch that week was splendid. Narkrin came to visit Pancake many a time, bringing a few other Exiles occasionally. Star was known throughout the Watch for her exciting personality, and Alasha was known for her strange ability to learn from them. She would sometimes work for some of the other wolves when others were unavailable.

"I understand this… 'Ghost' has been making progress?" Narkrin laughed as he and Pancake were alone in her den.

"He is," Pancake smiled. "I just hope he doesn't get into any trouble. That could cost his life, and you know how crazy I would go if they killed a wolf his age. He's…"

"…A year and a half," Narkrin said. "He's hardly the age to become a martyr for pups."

Pancake gave a little smile, though little more. She drew closer to Narkrin until their noses were almost touching. "Narkrin," she began in a whisper which was making him nervous. "I feel like we're up for another journey."

"Isn't that always how you feel when something slightly exciting happens?" answered Narkrin.

"This is slightly different," Pancake whispered. "I mean, I think it will change… everything…" Their eyes slowly locked onto each others. Narkrin did not see a shepherd; he felt as if he saw an angel. But Pancake, she saw a friend that could never leave her. He was more than a friend. She came closer, brushed her muzzle beside his, muzzling him with passion.

"Pancake!" Arthur's voice came from beside them.

His voice surprised the two canines, jerking them away from each other. "Arthur," Pancake turned around, smiling.

The owl laughed. "Ha—don't think I didn't see that."

Pancake looked slightly ashamed. She had not been able to really muzzle Narkrin when she had the chance. Some had caught her in doing so, but she ignored it. Once Pancake had despised muzzling before being paw-fast, but it now appeared she was fine with it. "Well," Pancake turned back to Narkrin. "I think you'd ought to go back home."

Narkrin nodded silently, glancing from Pancake to the exit with haste. He quickly leaned in and muzzled her again before trotting out, leaving a little grin on her face. "You've been awfully flirtations with Narkrin lately," Arthur observed.

"Have I?" asked Pancake, cocking her head.

Arthur nodded. "You have. But I'll try not to mention the fact that you two are bound to be a couple. Because that is what it appeared like on the Ice Bridge with you and Faolan."

"Are you saying Narkrin and I would—" Pancake began angrily.

"No!" Arthur shook his head. "I know you two will never lose the friendship you have now. I can only say it will get stronger. I just don't think the two of you should get paw-fast."

Pancake smiled. "Thanks for your concern, Arthur," she said. Tilting her head back up, her black ears pointed up towards the exit of the den. "That's Leitha." she said, standing. She and that bright-spirited wolf had taken turns watching since the day Pancake had arrived at the Watch.

"Your turn," the Watch Wolf said, passing by her once she had stepped out into the fresh air.

Pancake trotted to the top of her cairn, beginning with a nicely-balanced flip to check on the new Ember. She hardly noticed a dog standing beside her as she returned to the cairn. "Hi!" he said.

The shepherd jumped with surprise, her shock soothed with a smile. "Clark," she laughed, nuzzling him. "You've got to give up this element of surprise thing you've been going on."

"Well I think you'd like it if you would try," answered Clark, looking down into the Ring. It was less than one hundred feet from the ground where the cairn stood, but he felt timid on it. "I just stopped by to see how things were going here. Felix wanted to know when you would be home."

Pancake whimpered. "I've been here for so long, yet it feels like a day. Go to Felix. I will be home no more than an hour after dark."

Clark looked up at the sky. "Why not leave now?" he asked.

"I haven't had much time on my own this week, Clark. I think I'd rather go alone." Pancake hoped this would not offend him, but they had grown used to the fact that they were brother and sister, and Clark complied well with it. He treated her fairly, and though some of his acts were like that of a selfish younger brother that he was, Pancake enjoyed his company as a sibling. He left her that morning to join Narkrin in leaving, and not long after, Pancake departed from the Watch as well.

Arthur was sad to see her go, but he knew she had to return home. She left with a sweet farewell to her fellow Watch Wolves before galloping off alone towards home.

It was a peaceful walk, but as she came closer to Thunderheart's Den, she became more uneasy. What if they caught her, or even saw her? The MacNaans were so very closer to discovering her home, if the MacHeaths had not already told them. But she knew if they got into her world, she could rely on Riley to help her.

Yes, Riley. The Exiles even feared him, but Pancake, being domestic, would be able to lure him into befriending them. Riley was a human, and his father had been killed by wolves when he was younger. He would be very firm in ridding of the MacNaans, hating wolves as much as he did.

As Pancake came within twenty yards of Thunderheart's Den, a wolf approached her. He looked, sounded, and smelled like a MacNaan. "Stop right there," he said, his dark grey fur standing.

Pancake stopped very suddenly, keeping her tail low. She must look anything but angry or threatening to his wolf—war was the last thing they needed. "Yes?" she asked.

"This land is ours," the MacNaan barked. "Go back to your rightful place."

Pancake was confused. "You must be mistaken," she stuttered. "Your territory does not reach this point—it ceases about at least two miles west of here."

"We've expanded. Go back."

"You can't expand!" Pancake gasped. "Not onto our land. You were not supposed to come into the Beyond in the first place." The wolf's fur puffed up even more to threaten and intimidate. _Yeah, that's harsh,_ Pancake wanted to roll her eyes. _I've seen a drug lord with a gun; this is lame._

"You have no right of this place!"

Pancake tried to keep her temper down. "I am an Exile, standing for the Wolves of the Beyond. By friend Arthur stands with me, and it is he who brought the Beyond back to its former beauty. Shall you dishonor he who restored your land?"

"What is one owl against a multitude of wolves?"

Pancake gave one small glance at the den. She could see that both Clark and Narkrin were waiting for her in the shadows… they could see what was happening. "I will go home," Pancake finally replied, looking back at him. "I am sorry you have decided to disgrace your fellow wolves. I do not see what two more miles is." She turned, knowing it was either for a powerful feeling, or for the Den. Neither got them farther from the threat of war.


	4. Smallest of the Small

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

Chapter 4

Smallest of the Small

"Expanded?" Star gasped. "Do you mean to tell me that Pancake is stuck in the Beyond… again?"  
"Precicely! Only this time, she can get back. But not without getting herself in trouble again." Clark answered. "There is no way we can get someone in there and out again without being noticed. We have to go in there and find out_ why _they want that land! But who do we have that can get in and out without being noticed?"

"What about Jet?" suggested Imnus. He thought highly of the hawk that had always befriended the Soda Pop Pack.

Amcora shook her head. "She would be seen. A bird of her size would draw suspicion going into a den."

Felix nodded. "Amcora is right," he sighed, reluctant to finish his statement. "We only have one resource left that can get into the Beyond and find out what the MacNaans are up to."

The Exiles seemed shocked that Felix would suggest what he just did. "No!" Filius barked. "After all of this, you're going to suggest that we… we get…"

Nastia stood up. "I'll go get her." she said, turning towards the Soda Pop Pack.

"You're insane!" cried Nitus, agreeing with his brother, Filius. There was nothing much they could do, for in moment Nastia had returned with their last hope of investigating without causing trouble.

"Nastia said something about excitement, so here I am!" Lillian exclaimed. "What is this all about?"

Felix sighed. "I guess we can't ask you if you're up for it if we haven't told you what you should be up for. You know the situation with the Beyond and the MacNaans, right?"

"Yeah, I guess,"

"The MacNaans took the territory of Thunderheart's Den, and we don't know why. No one can get in… except you. Are you up for it?" Amcora explained.

Lillian looked away to the east were the den lay. "Tell Sam I said goodbye, just in case," she said, dropping onto all fours and crawling off towards the den. She was very strange, as were the rest of the Small Annoying Ones. Her fur was almost golden, and it was very noticeable despite her height (three inches tall). Her father, Mud, had needed to deal with many enemies, as did Lillian. She walked on two legs most of the time, using her forepaws as hands, especially when handling her sword (which she had named Blank). She and her adopted brother, Sam, led the remaining Small Annoying Ones into whatever trouble that needed to be taken care of. Thus, the two were named 'the Smallest of the Small.'

Lillian moved swiftly for her size, and as a result found herself in the Beyond in moments. There were a few MacNaan wolves about, so she kept hidden, listening to their conversations. "So you were in on the capturing?" one asked to another.

"I was. That pup can fight like crazy!" responded the second. "Can you believe he's saved more than ten of the pups we took?"

"Well is he dead yet?"

"No," the second shook his head sadly. "The chieftain wants to question him first. He knows that kid's working for the Exiles."

Lillian ducked behind cover again as they walked passed her; this was not good. They had Ghost captive and were going to kill him soon—even worse, they probably did not keep him anywhere close to the good side of the Beyond, which mean that Lillian had a lot of traveling to do.

She began there, crawling out on all fours and towards the next thing she could hide behind. She was nearly spotted a few times, but the MacNaan wolves never checked hard enough for someone her size. Mice in that world did not have minds as they did in Lillian's world, so no one would expect her.

At last, Lillian came across a den with three guarding wolves standing upon the outside (it was actually not very far from Thunderheart's Den). This had to be where Ghost was being hidden; who else would need so many guards? _This will be difficult…_ Lillian assured herself. _But just sneak behind them and into the den! You can make it a lot easier with the correct amount of stealth._ With that in mind, she began dashing her way through the grass, making her way through the night. She found no difficulty in finding her way behind the wolves. Without a sound, she slipped into the den and towards a dark figure in the back. "You awake?" she asked, nudging his paw.

Ghost opened his eyes, lifting his head. "Lillian?" he whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Investigating," answered Lillian. "Clark and Narkrin came home saying Pancake was stuck here again after the MacNaans expanded their territory. I came to find out why they wanted two more miles when I discovered they had you captive."

Ghost whimpered. "They're worse than I thought they were. They cut me up with their stupid teeth. Do you think the Exiles could get them back to their true land?"

"No; not against these wolves. There are too many, and far too less Exiles. It would be a waste. Pancake will have to sneak into Colorado now." Lillian said gravely.

Ghost looked up at the moonlight streaming into the den. "You'd better go. I'm not sure that it's safe for you to be here… you're too small, if that isn't offensive. The wolves of the Beyond are much bigger than wolves back at home are. I don't think even you could fight one and survive."

"I would want to try," answered Lillian. "but I also want to live. I will leave you, but not leave the territory. I have to find out what they're up to, and I'll endeavor until I die. Pancake has to get home." She bid Ghost farewell and ran back towards the exit, slipping out and beginning to disappear into the greenery.

As she was, a paw slammed onto her tail, causing her heart to skip a beat. In the blink of an eye, Lillian drew her sword and turned around, letting the tip fall to the nose of one of the guards. The predator and prey were both bewildered at the sight of the other; a wolf so large and a mouse that could think. "Who are you?" the wolf demanded, regaining composure.

Lillian was speechless. She had endured shocking moments, but this was the worst of all. She was so rushed and so surprised—this wolf was _enormous_. "I—I—" she stuttered, losing grip on Blank as it fell to the ground. This entertained the wolf enough to lift his paw from her tail and watch her go. But Lillian went no where. So he thrust his paw forward, knocking her over pitifully. She tried recovering her sword and ground, and eventually her shaking decreased. "I am a Small Annoying One," she finally said, standing up tall.

"Figures,"

_That was a great introduction… intimidating. _"Why do you ask?" Lillian spoke up again.

"I'm on watch for that stupid pup in there," the wolf said, tipping his head momentarily towards the den. "And I don't want anyone in there."

Lillian looked confused. "And you think _I _will do anything?" she asked with a short laugh, as if to insult herself. She could do something to free Ghost, but chose to make herself look pitiful. She knew she could run now; fear had just about left her.

"No, I don't," the wolf muttered. "Why are you here, anyway?"

Lillian was not quiet sure how she should answer that. "I was looking around," she admitted. "This is close to my home."

"And how is it you came to talk?"

"Don't all mice talk?"  
"No."

"Oh. Well, then I don't know. You're guess is as good as mine."

The wolf stepped back, sitting down regularly again. His ears were erect as if listening to Lillian, though his eyes strayed from her in thought. "So, you're a _Small Annoying One,_ you said?" he asked slowly.

"Yes, I am."

"Curious name," mumbled the wolf. "I was there the day Pancake mentioned your group in her story during the Gaddergnaw Games."

Lillian cocked her head to one side. "I thought MacNaans weren't allowed in the Beyond back then." she shrugged. "Well, you _are_ good at breaking rules." It was clear to Lillian she had gone too far, for the wolf snapped at her. Seeing that she was a Small Annoying One, she had to be with Pancake.

Once again, Lillian was about seized with fear. She could hardly draw her sword as he slammed his paw onto her tail. At that, a sharp _yip_ came from the den as Ghost burst out, knocking the MacNaan over. "What are you _doing_?" Lillian shrieked as Ghost set her onto his pack.

"I'm getting out of here!" he yelped, galloping away from the den with a few MacNaans on his heels. "Do you think it would be wise to go to the Ring, or would the MacNaans attack?"

"They'd attack."

"That's what I thought." Ghost dodged a wolf jumping at him, almost falling over himself. "They have good aim," he whispered, looking back. "Where _should_ I go, then?" He looked back to the course ahead.

Lillian face-palmed with a sigh of anger. "This is my first time to the Beyond! How am I supposed to know?" She heard a small growl from him as his pace quickened towards the Cave Before Time.


	5. Murderer!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

Chapter 5

"Murderer!"

Edme felt terrible; she was lying there on the floor as Pancake paced back and forth angrily. Neither of them could do anything about the issue, but Pancake could not stop growling and barking. "I can't believe they'd so something like this," Pancake snarled. "I thought maybe—just maybe—we might be able to form peace between the two of us. And now they have made it impossible to get home without going across the Ice Bridge again."

"Well, what do you want to do about it? There's no use pouting." Edme said.

"The Exiles are bound to come looking for me sometime. But I don't know what good that will do… I'll just have to stay here until further notice." Pancake plopped down beside Edme, setting her head onto her paws. _Can I go long enough without seeing Clark or Narkrin?_ She thought sadly.

"Edme?" Faolan asked from outside. "Can I come in?"

"Please do," Edme sighed in a stressed way.

Faolan stepped into the den, nuzzling Edme's cheek. "How are you?" he asked.

Edme did not answer; she only nodded her head a little as if to say "I'm fine," and then looked to Pancake. "You probably heard the MacNaans expanded their territory."

"I did," Faolan whimpered. "I'm sorry, Pancake. I'm Fengo—I'll try to reason with them. We might be able to reward them if they do, though I don't know what." He sat down beside Edme. "Well, I do have some more sad news."

"What?"

"Another one of the ten pups from the MacDuncans… he's missing."

_Earlier…_

The sun was setting deep into the west, giving the sky a pale orange look. "Where are we going again?" Lillian asked, frightened by the growing dark. "I'm not comfortable in the Beyond… not at night."

"We're almost there," Ghost assured. "The Cave Before Time is a very snug cave; I'm sure you'll like it. I have spent many nights in there." He spoke truth, for in a few moments they arrived at the large mouth of a cave. Ghost set Lillian down before curling up into a ball, already sleepy.

Lillian, however, could not get to sleep. The cave was too large, and she did not feel safe alone with Ghost in that country of the Beyond. What if they were found by MacNaans? Surly they would both be killed.

As Lillian thought, she realized sleep was out of the question for what she could do. She thought exploring the cave might calm her down, so she stood and came to Ghost's head. "Hey," she said, tapping him.

"Huh?" groaned Ghost, his eyes hardly opening at all.

"I'm going to look around the cave, okay?" Lillian whispered, but did not wait for an answer. She just scampered off into the darkness, looking around and thinking. Ghost was left to himself, dreaming peacefully. _I ought to go,_ he thought. _I have to look for pups._ With that thought, he stood and left the cave, searching for a pup.

* * *

"Abban!" Pancake barked, galloping. "What happened? Faolan said another pup was missing—Arthur and I came as soon as we could."

Abban was nodding, but he seemed very unsettled in mind. His eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "Yes," he said. "Just a few hours ago, Pancake. I was watching the pups and the thief came."

"What did he look like—did you get a good look at him?"

"Yes. Dark fur, a little white on his chest, and he wasn't very large either." Abban was shaking. "He never spoke—just slowly came, grabbed a pup, and ran away. I just fear the pup won't be alright. I did catch the thief; a slashed him on his left ear, but he still got away."

"Have you followed the wolf's trail yet?"

"No, not yet. Would you like to?"

Pancake nodded, shooting off towards the mother and her pups. She and Abban stuck their noses to the ground, sniffing along a fresh trail of wolf. At first there was one, and then another, and then the smell of a pup. Abban and Pancake walked all of the night, following the trail—all the way towards the Frost Forest, and almost in MacNaan territory. "Look!" Pancake gasped. "The Cave Before Time! The thief must be there." She threw her legs into a gallop, skidding around into the cave entrance, Abban on her heels, finding the thief in plain sight on the floor.

* * *

Ghost had been sleeping deeply now, but dawn caught his consciousness again. Blinking twice, he looked out of the cave and into the light. He was lying like he should sleep, but on a lump of dirt. In the entrance of the cave stood two figures: Pancake and Abban. "Whoa!" Ghost yelped, standing. His head throbbed on the left side where he had been clawed the night before, but he ignored it.

"It's the Ghost!" Abban gasped. "And that pile of dirt—there's a paw sticking out of it!"

The Ghost looked down at the pile, seeing a tiny paw sticking out of it. It had blood on it, but so did his claws, muzzle, and paws. Abban slowly approached the pile, avoiding Ghost until he came to the paw. Taking it firmly in his teeth, he pulled it out, revealing the dead body of the stolen pup—dirty with mud and blood. "Murder…?" Pancake stuttered, looking back up at Ghost.

"He was trying to hide it!" Abban shrieked, tears welling in his eyes. "You murderer!" He jumped onto Ghost, sinking his teeth into his back.

With a few thumps, Abban was lying on his back with Ghost standing over him. "Murder indeed!" Ghost barked, looking at the pup. He had ignored Abban, and looked to Pancake. "Do the MacDuncans know of its death, or even its kidnapping?" he asked, giving a smooth jump over Abban.

Pancake was chocking on tears. "How did you come to get that pup?" she yelped.

Ghost looked back, and then to his bloody paws. "I…" he stuttered.

"He murdered it!" said Abban, standing. "See? His head is scratched exactly where I scratched it last night. He's the one who took it." Abban bit at Ghost again, drawing a yip from him.

Out of a crack in the wall, Lillian walked out drowsily. She had found a comfortable place in the deeper places of the cave to sleep, and had woken up at Ghost's voice. "Pancake!" she cried joyfully. "I'm glad to see you."

"What's going on here?" Pancake demanded. "Lillian, where did you find him?" she gestured to Ghost.

"I went investigating in the MacNaan territory, and they had Da—"

"Call me Ghost here, Lillian," Ghost suggested.

"…_Ghost_ was captive. I distracted the guards until he broke loose and took me with him. We got here last night." Lillian looked strangely towards the dead pup, about to ask about it when Abban interrupted.

"Where was he at midnight?" he asked angrily.

Lillian looked at Ghost suspiciously. "I don't know. I was exploring at midnight. Last I knew he was asleep, but when I checked back an hour later to make sure no one had found us, he was gone. I thought he had just gone for a drink or something."

"Ghost," Pancake said firmly. "Where were you an hour after midnight?"

Ghost looked guiltily at the floor. "I…" he whispered. "I look like a suspect, I know. And I'll tell you the truth." He looked back at them. "I was looking for pups. I found that one," he nodded to the deceased pup, "and I grabbed it. There wasn't anyone around, so I smelled it and realized it was a MacDuncan pup. So I started taking it back to the MacDuncans when a few MacNaans found me. They asked me why I was trying to steal the pup, and I told them I was returning it to its pack. They said that I was just trying to be a hero—stealing and then returning to look good. Then they accused me of actually trying to kill it. The rest was a blur—I fought with the MacNaans and kept trying to get back to the pup, and then blacked out."

"Wait," Lillian shook her head. "Pancake, you think Ghost is the murderer?"  
"No," admitted Pancake. "But he looks like a murderer."

Ghost was stuttering now. "Well—I—_Pancake_… I didn't kill that pup. I was—I was trying to keep it safe. Those MacNaans, they framed me. I promise, all of you, I didn't kill it!"

At that moment, a few Watch Wolves and MacDuncans rounded the corner, bursting into excitement. "There he is!" they gasped. Faolan ran out of them, tackling Ghost to the ground as the rest surrounded.

"Pancake," Abban looked towards her. "He's guilty. He might have helped us once, but his testimony could have easily been made up quickly. I'm sorry." He stood up, trotting along with the others to keep Ghost secure.

Once Ghost was back on his paws, surrounded, they began to lead him to the Watch, where he would be kept until further notice. Pancake knew the 'further notice' would be a trail where he was accused guilty and sentenced to death. She had a strong feeling that he was true to his word, but also believed he had killed the pup.

* * *

Ghost paced back and forth in his den. A few Watch Wolves were standing guard outside, leaving him feeling trapped and angry. "Banja," Pancake called to one of the guards. "May I go in and speak to him?"

Banja looked at Jasper who had also heard Pancake's question, the two looking concerned. "I wouldn't suggest it, Pancake," Jasper said.

"I can talk to him," Pancake growled. "If he attacks, the two of you know I'll be able to protect myself. Let me speak to him." The two Watch Wolves stepped aside, letting her slip in. By now, Ghost was lying hopelessly on the floor, angrily gnawing on a bone. "Ghost." Pancake said quietly.

He looked up, glancing from Pancake to the exit. "They can hear us, can't they?" he whispered. She nodded, and he continued. "What do you want?"

"You and I both know you did not kill that pup," answered Pancake. "We need to prove it."

Ghost growled. "And how are we supposed to do that? Every time I talk my words stutter and I look guilty! Besides, wolves my age aren't always trust worthy. They won't believe a word I say."

"But during your trial, I'll bring up logic. You said the MacNaans attacked you, that sound like something the MacNaans would do. You were taking a pup to safety: that's something you would do. So, logically, you're telling the truth."

Ghost looked at her dully. "That's not hard evidence." he said.

"I know," Pancake groaned. "But your trial is any minute now! I'll be your lawyer."

Snowdon stepped into the den, looking anxiously towards Ghost. "Pancake," he said quietly.

"Alright, I'm coming," Pancake sighed, turning towards Ghost. "Don't stutter in your words. You've got to be firm; be brave." She led the young wolf out and towards some assembling wolves, each important to a clan (like a chieftain). Faolan was the "judge."

"We're assemble now for a _raghnaid_, or as Pancake calls it, a 'trail in court.' I have no idea how that works, so if I mess up, don't kill me." Faolan took a deep breath. "We'll let the accused go first."

Pancake and Ghost stepped up, nervous to be stared at by so many wolves. There was a short silence before a MacDuncan, most likely the mother of the pup, cried out: "What do you have to say, Murderer?"

Ghost looked her way, took a deep breath, and began to confess exactly what had happened the night of the murder.

**Review and tell me if you think Ghost is guilty or not!**


	6. Confession

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

Chapter 6

Confession

"I was there when the pup died, I think," Ghost said. "Everything points to my guilt—all but my testimony. I was saving the pup when confronted by MacNaan wolves. I blacked out… I supposed it could have been possible that I blacked out because I was going so quickly and with such rage. But I have no memory of hurting the pup, nor the pup ever getting hurt. I do not know why MacNaan wolves would want to kill that pup, but I think it is logical that they did."

"Objection!" Abban yelled. "You are guilty; who else almost always has access to pups all over the Beyond? You do!"

Ghost snarled. "Maybe so, but where is my motive?" He was eyed by Pancake, causing him to take a deep breath and calm down again.

"Many have no motive and kill because they feel like it—because they are young and reckless! Pups are perfect victims, are they not?"

"They are, but hasn't Ghost been _saving_ them as well?" Pancake offered. "Why would he save and then kill?"

Abban stuttered. "Well—uh—he could have had a change of heart." He felt this was a little weak, but it tripped Pancake a little. She had no idea what to say because that was so ridiculous.

"Change of heart?" Ghost scoffed. "I would not kill!"

"You don't seem to be the saving-type now," stated Abban.

Lillian stepped up beside Pancake. "I know Ghost well, and—"

"I get angry sometimes; so does Pancake." said Ghost.

"—It seems illogical to me that he would—" Lillian was cut off again.

"Well we _know_ Pancake better than we know you."

"—Kill a little pup like that." Lillian finished.

"Then you should know that it does not matter whether or not you know someone; you should not judge a book by its cover, or a person by a rumor." Pancake growled. She felt a little tab beside her paw, and found Lillian. "Yeah?"

Lillian did not look pleased. "I just made a good point, and I don't think I was heard."

"That's because our vocal cords are as-big-or-bigger than you are from head to paw."

Lillian frowned. "That makes me feel _really_ good about myself, Pancake," she mumbled.

Pancake raised her head, speaking up again. "My good friend Lillian has made a good point: she knows Ghost well and does not think he would ever do something like that. And I know Lillian well, and she is very truthful."

Faolan sighed, turning to Abban again. "Accusers, you may speak your points." he announced.

Abban cleared his throat again, standing forward. He was not very different than he was as a pup—very advanced in inelegance, unlike he was in his younger days, but Pancake saw anger in him. When it came to death, Abban was completely different. "It began last night, and I was watching over the pups, doing my best to be humble before those poor pups and their mother." he began.

_Great, _Faolan thought, _he's too much like his father._

"And that was when he came—the exact wolf we see before us today. He was small, black, and had white on his chest. He did not speak, but caught one while I was off guard. He began to flee, so I chased after him. He almost tripped, so I was able to stop him for a moment and scratch his left ear. Pancake, does Ghost have a scratch on his left ear?" Abban paused, waiting for an answer.

Pancake checked Ghost's ear, sighing. "He does."

"Ghost, what do you have to say about that?"

The young wolf was chocking on so many words. He wanted to say something, but he felt too guilty. Some of him was screaming: _I did not do it—please, let me live._ And the other was saying: _Alright, I did it. I killed that pup and lied to you… enough with the embarrassment._ But Pancake believed in him.

"You have nothing to say?" Abban asked, continuing. "Well, as Pancake and I traced his trail, we came to the Cave Before Time. He was sleeping on a pile of dirt where he had hidden the pup's corpse. The pup reeked of his scent. Also, Ghost had blood on his paws and teeth when we came. When Lillian came in, she admitted herself that Ghost was gone at midnight, which is the exact time I was attacked."

Nimbin whimpered; he liked Ghost now after his pup was saved, but it seemed he was guilty. "All evidence shows him guilty." he whispered.

"Pancake…?" Faolan asked. "Do you or Ghost argue?"  
Pancake turned to Ghost. "Well?" she whispered frantically. "What can we throw at them?"

Ghost closed his eyes; all he could hear was his heart. He swallowed, opening his eyes and speaking. "I…" he stuttered, his voice shaking. "I… k-killed the pup." He admitted. "I murdered it last night… the MacNaans did not kill it. I—I was angry th-that my family had abandoned me."

"_Huh_?" Pancake gasped, looking at Ghost with wide eyes. "What are you _saying_?" She looked back at Faolan and the chieftains, looking well like a fool. "He—he's not telling the truth."

Ghost hung his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Pancake was ready to tear him apart. "He's innocent! Abban, that is not the wolf you saw last night."

"Ghost," Faolan said. "The punishment for killing a pup is death."

Pancake screamed in shock. "No, no, no!" she shouted, standing in front of Ghost. "He didn't do it!" A Watch Wolf came to guide the shameful Ghost back to his den, but Pancake kicked them down. "He should be free—Ghost did not kill that pup! Tell them, Ghost!"

Faolan sighed; Pancake was having another one of her fits. By now she was unstoppable—force was now needed. "Restrain Pancake, but don't tell her I restrained her." Faolan whispered to a few by standing Watch Wolves.

Ghost was, as well, being moved by force. He realized that the next time he would leave the den was to be led to his death… he would not see any of his friends again. "Wait," he said. "Let me talk to Pancake."

"Calm down," a wolf said. "Go to your den."

"He is innocent!" Pancake protested.

"Wait, wait!" Ghost yelled, trying to break out from the wolves surrounding him. He made a few sudden movements to back them up, but it was useless. "Pancake? Pancake!"

Pancake tried looking over the wolves to find him. "Ghost, I'll find you! I'll tell them you're innocent."

* * *

Pancake had her head on her paws, and her eyes were wet with tears. "This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me," she whispered. "Worse than the Ice Bridge, worse than being attacked by Beyond Wolves. But this…"

"I don't understand why he would give himself up," pondered Lillian. "I knew he gave up a lot, but I did not think that he would give up just because he was embarrassed. He thinks he can escape and find evidence that he is innocent. But he _can't_!"

Arthur was in his nest, looking as if he did not care, but feeling the contrary. "What can we do to delay the death sentence?" he asked.

Pancake closed her eyes, fighting tears. "Nothing," she whispered.

Lillian was pacing angrily; her family had gone through terrible situations, but she did not recall any like this. Her father Mud was familiar with most anything, making it through and making solutions. What would he do now? _What about the Run-In-Run-Out rescue?_ Lillian suggested to herself. Mud had done that one long ago when Lillian and Mud's cousin, Akello, had been captive, and it worked "perfectly." But that could not be done here. So she continued to pace, thinking deeply. When Pancake had almost drifted to sleep, Lillian burst with excitement. "I have an idea!" he cried.

"What?" Pancake gasped, now fully awake.

"Faolan is a reasonable wolf—he knows right from wrong, doesn't he? Well, he's the judge. And he ought to know that he cannot condemn a wolf from another world or pack to death! Ghost is from our world, so it is not his right to kill him. Ghost does not really belong to any pack, but he is closest to the Exiles. It would be like sentencing an Exile to death!"

Pancake sat up. "True," she said, trotting to the exit. Unfortunately, even she was being guarded—they knew she would free Ghost if she wanted to. "Padraigh," she whispered, catching his attentions. "Ghost is with me… he's from my world."

He looked down at her. "Pancake," he said firmly. "Stop trying to advise me about Ghost—I know as well as you do that Ghost is innocent. I don't know why he said he was guilty, though."

"You do?" Pancake smiled. "Well, as I was saying, if Ghost is from my world, Abban can't have him killed. Ghost _is_ from my world, not yours."

Padraigh sighed. "Faolan knows, Pancake," he whispered. "But they think that if the Exiles have any sense, they will agree that Ghost should be killed for his crime. We take murder _very seriously_. Especially when it is a pup."

Pancake sighed, drawing her head back into the den. She wondered why Ghost could have said he was guilty, and now she was beginning to believe him. "When is the execution?" she finally asked Padraigh as the sun was setting.

Padraigh yawned. "Tomorrow morning, I think," he muttered. "You'd better get some rest, Pancake."

The Exile made no reply, but only curled into a ball to get some rest. The den became silent as dusk turned to night, and stars dusted the sky radiantly. Pancake, being exhausted (as usual), had a long and deep sleep, but many dreams. Not all were pleasant—most were about the future morning as the MacDuncans, MacDonegals, and others tore Ghost to pieces. Could they not make the death more peaceful? Pancake wished that Ghost would escape tonight: that they would wake in the morning and find his den empty. But as light dawned and the Watch stirred, Jasper reported that he had hardly moved since he fell asleep. "Something—anything," Pancake whispered to herself. Something had to happen to prevent this… but what?

As she stepped from her den under little supervision, a wolf who had recently become beautiful trotted up. "What is this nonsense about murder?" the Sark growled. Arthur told me about it. But I don't believe that hero I heard about would kill a pup, do you?"

"No, of course not," Pancake shook her head. "He confessed, only because he thinks he can escape. But so far he hasn't shown one effort to try! I don't understand. It's as if…" she paused, her expression changing dramatically.

The Sark looked extremely interested at this point. "As if what?" she stammered impatiently. Her grey fur was beginning to puff.

"As if he wants to die!" cried Pancake. "But why? Why would he want to kill himself?" She stopped, turning to see a few wolves guarding Ghost from his den. The wolves of the Beyond were assembling for an execution—it would take many to hold Pancake back. "Hey!" the shepherd snarled. "Let him go; you cannot kill him."

A few wolves trotted towards Pancake just to make it harder for her to get to Ghost, but she would push them back. She kicked at a few, continually looking towards the young criminal. _This is happening too fast!_ Pancake thought desperately. _I didn't get to tell him goodbye—they wouldn't do this if they knew I cared for him! But what can I do? These wolves hold me back and preclude my ability to save him! If only a miracle would come; if only Faolan would realize what is happening! _Pancake yelped as a wolf jumped onto her back, flattening her onto the ground. Her head was pushed against the ground with a paw, held firmly to leave her fighting skills useless.

The movement almost came to a complete stop. Ghost stood before Abban (who was taking the honor of delivering the first strike), his tail low but his ears forward. He was ready to die; he was proud to die… he was eager to die. Pancake could not understand why this was all happening, and when it was over she would not be able to change it. How was she letting this happen? Her heart was pounding, her eyes wide, and her throat throbbing with constant breaths. _No, no, no!_ Her mind screamed. _This is not Faolan's doing, is it? It can not be! This is like the assassination of Grizz all over again!_ "Let him live, please, please!" Pancake shrieked. "He's innocent—he killed no pup. He was _saving_ the pup! Let him live, let him live!" Pancake was pushed down harder as Abban drew back a claw, swung, and struck Ghost down.


	7. Freedom!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

Chapter 7

Freedom!

Ghost had the wind knocked out of him, his eyes wide and his mouth open. _Don't say a word,_ he thought. _Let him continue… you must persevere._ He yelped as a few more wolves joined in to sink their teeth into him: to put him to death.

One wolf started to yip with surprise, finding Lillian at his paws with a swinging sword. She was quickly excluded from the situation with a small kick, and the biting continued. "Get off of me!" Pancake growled, squirming. She did not expect them to reply with a quick and humble "Okay," but she knew it was better than saying nothing. "You are killing an innocent wolf!" she cried.

Faolan was panting with anxiety—Pancake would bitterly _hate_ him for this. Reluctantly, he barked. "Alright," he yelled. "That's enough."

The wolves stepped back enough that Pancake could catch sight of Ghost: he was still lying on his side, but his panting had increased and he was dotted with blood. Faolan was clearly allowing them to cease to kill him as a group, but have one wolf deliver a fatal and quick death. "Sir," Abban panted. "May I give the killing strike?"

Faolan was stuttering endlessly, glancing from the dying wolf on the ground to Pancake. The Exile had almost given up, crying until she was almost breathless. "I… well…" he gulped, taking his eyes from the shepherd. "I suppose so, Abban."

"Thank you, sir," Abban said, turning to Ghost. With his strike, Ghost would be dead for sure.

Ghost let out a little cry of fear: this was it. He was so close to death there was no turning back. He could try, but he knew everything he would do would fail. "I…" Ghost gasped as Abban raised a paw again. "I recant. I'm innocent—I just told you I was guilty because I _wanted_ to die." A few wolves let out little laughs: he was so afraid he was denying the truth. Abban had even paused for a moment, but after the laughs, he lifted the paw again. "Abban," Ghost calmed down. "Find my family and tell them I'm sorry I had to do this. I was saving a life—I had to die to save a life. Tell my mom that she's beautiful, and that she tried hard to keep me safe. Tell my dad that he was… he was an inspiration. And everyone else; let them know I loved them." He shut his eyes, trying to scramble back as Abban struck forward.

Pancake jerked at a smack and a whimper, and then a silence. She was released, and went running towards the criminal, falling beside him. "Ghost?" she panted, laying a paw on him and turning him towards her.

"I'm okay!" he gasped, blinking with fright. "I'm alright; he didn't hit me."

"Oh!" Pancake sighed with fright, nuzzling his black fur.

A wolf from the crowd began to yell. "Who is _this_?" he shouted. "Some jerk jumped in the way!"

Pancake and Ghost looked up, seeing the rescuer as he stood. "Is he alright?" Narkrin asked, trotting over. His side had been struck, but he shook it off.

Ghost whimpered, trying to get himself back up. "I'm fine," he mumbled. "Why did you do jump in the way?"

Narkrin and Pancake pushed Ghost to his paws, helping him balance. "You are an Exile; we could not have let you died." Narkrin stated.

Abban marched over towards them angrily. "What was the meaning of that, Narkrin? Who are you to stop a death sentence of the Beyond?"

"I have every right when the one you are executing is of my pack and of my family. Ghost is my relative (I won't go into _how_ we are related, for that might take a while), and I shall not have him killed by a prideful _pup_ such as yourself." Narkrin turned to Ghost, assuring his balance and feelings.

Ghost groaned. "Listen, Narkrin; all I need is some rest. Nothing more. Now please stop getting over excited about my wounds."

"Narkrin, if we had known he was in your family we would have never—" Faolan was cut off.

Pancake barked to silence him. "What difference does it make? Relative or not, he was a life, innocent." she turned back to Ghost, guiding him towards a den. Ghost tried his best not to look or sound hurt, but he really was. Almost more so than he was physically hurt, his conscience was on fire. "Now," Pancake said, lying beside him and licking his cheek. "What were you talking about when Abban was about to kill you? Something about saving a life?"  
"I—It's nothing," Ghost stuttered. "I guess I might just have said something to make him stop. Sorry if I made you concerned."

Pancake licked his cheek again before standing. "Get some sleep, Ghost," she smiled. "I have to go to watch."

He gave a tired smile before laying his head down and letting out a heavy sigh. He hoped Abban would not become even more angry and come after him—young wolves did have uncontrollable anger at times.

The next two days were tedious; Pancake came to visit Ghost many a time, along with a few apologizing Watch Wolves who had helped wound him. But Narkrin did no see Ghost often, for he was hunting most of the time and returning with meat to help Ghost heal. At dusk of the third day, he delivered a muscular now hare, coming to join Pancake as she perched on Watch. "Almost over?" Narkrin shouted to her as he trotted up.

Pancake let out a little huff of effort as she jumped again, executing nothing more than a small spin clockwise. She landed again with joyful spirits. "Yes, Narkrin?" she asked, looking up at the darkening sky in search of owls.

He tilted his head to one side. "I just came up to check on you," he sighed. "Ghost is doing well: better than I thought he would."

Pancake jumped up again, completing two summersaults before returning to the cairn. "That's good news," she said. "I have a question for you: how did you get to Ghost just in time for Abban to strike?"

Narkrin shrugged. "The Exiles were worried about everything, and just when we thought Lillian wasn't coming back, Arthur flew in telling about Ghost's death sentence. We quickly decided I should go, so I ran out of Thunderheart's den unnoticed. I don't think I shall get back, though."

Pancake licked his muzzle. "It was thoughtful of you to come all this way and get hurt, and you cannot go back."  
"Thoughtful? I was barely coming for Ghost: I was coming to see _you_!"

Pancake laughed. "Alright, then it's generous."

"Really? Generous? That's the _best_ you could come up with?"

Pancake thought. "Flattering?"  
Narkrin shook his head.

"Alright then, Narkrin, it was sacrificing," Pancake said. She stepped closer to him, muzzling him and lowering her voice to a whisper. "It was very romantic of you, Narkrin."

"Thank you," he answered, licking her nose. "Now, is your shift over?"

Pancake blushed. "It is."

"Well!" Narkrin moved beside her. "May I have the honor of walking you back to your den?" After Pancake had nodded, Narkrin began to lead her down the hill of the cairn. When they had almost reached the bottom, Padraigh ran through the middle of the Ring, excited more than usual.

"Everyone, everyone!" he called. "The She-Winds—they're here!"

Pancake's eyes went wide, for he was right! She could feel a difference in the wind—a difference not usual for the Ring. "Narkrin!" she gasped, nipping at his ear. "Come with me!" She began to gallop back up onto her cairn where the winds were stronger. "I'm going to be your _taiga _for like ten seconds, okay?"

"Oookay,"

Pancake smiled, looking up as the sky began to clutter with owls. "Alright, I taught you to jump like a Watch Wolf, remember?" she asked. Narkrin nodded, so she continued. "Well on this night it feels especially good! Follow my lead."

The Exile crouched and then leaped into the air where the warmth surrounded her. The ground seemed so far below that she could never return to it, but that did not matter. What mattered was the strong wind in her fur, pushing her into beautiful twirls and spins. She landed beside Narkrin again with a look on her face quite difference from the previous. "That was strange!" she yipped. "I've never flipped like _that_ before. I almost lost control. But I did see a very good view of everything."

Narkrin was almost speechless. "Pancake…" he stuttered. "That was amazing! How did you do that?"

"Do you think it was really that good?" Pancake smiled. She felt inspired at this, so she decided to do another jump. This time she had more control, so she completed the same spin as before, landing beside Narkrin.

By now, the sky was black and the lava was a deep red against it. Owls dived in with the light reflecting on their feathers. Everything seemed perfect again as Pancake taught Narkrin to fly with the She-Winds. He made a few jumps himself—no, they were not professional, but they were worth seeing. He was very good to begin with; better than Pancake had expected him to be.

"I'm going to try that jump again," Pancake said. "It was very soothing, actually. Only this time I'm going to try a triple flip instead."

Narkrin whimpered. "Don't hurt yourself." he warned.

"No worries! All I need is concentration, and I'm full on that tonight." Pancake took a deep breath, spread her paws apart, and then lowered her head. With a great amount of pushing, Pancake leaped into the air, beginning to execute her special flip. At the same moment she departed from the cairn, Jasper ran towards them inside the center of the Ring.

"Pancake!" he shrieked before she had come to the top of her flight. "Ghost is gone!"

"What?" Pancake whispered, looking his way. Her paws immediately prepared for landing, but in doing so they shifted her balance in the wind. She began to be blown westwards.

"Pancake!" Narkrin cried as she was tossed a ways.

The Exile saw her course: right towards Stormfast, of which she was guarding. The tip of the volcano was ragged and protruded out into the air, just far enough to catch her. Pancake let out a yelp as her forepaws grasped onto the tip, stopping her flight and causing her body to swing down towards the lava below. "Narkrin!" she shouted, trying to pull herself up onto the rocky tip. But her hind legs had nothing to grip to, dangling and kicking above the burning embers.

"I'm coming!" Pancake heard a voice call back, obviously Narkrin. It was very distant, and he was slow-going in scrambling up the volcano's side.

At this time Pancake's paws were jet black with soot and her fur hot. She knew that the volcano was rising for an eruption soon: she could not be stuck dangling on its outside as it was! "Narkrin!" she shrieked louder as her paws dragged back towards the edge. The wind was funneling into the volcano, stirring up the flames and heat, blasting into Pancake's ears. She wished she were not so bossy to Narkrin for him to help her, but she was too afraid not to scream. Ever since she came to the Ring she was afraid of falling into the volcanoes, but once she had jumped around them that fear had dwindled away. Now she was moments from being burnt to a crisp in one, unable to see how close her hero was from saving her.

Narkrin was moments from seeing Pancake when a hot gust of air slapped him in the face, ash burning his eyes. But this could not stop him from helping her: he had to save her no matter how much pain he was in. He could even see her scrambling paws now, making little progress. "I have you!" he called, placing a paw onto hers and blinking tears of pain.

His weight on the tip caused a little rumble, but Pancake knew she was safe now. Her ears picked up more sound, but instead of Narkrin, she heard a little crackle sound. "Narkrin, watch out!" she yelled as the grounded from beneath him began to collapse.

The black wolf jumped back as the tip gave way, and Pancake vanished into the thick plumes of smoke and ash below.

***Dramatic music BLASTS in the background, and the screen goes black. Then, after a moments pause, soft and sad music begins as the credits begin to roll up the screen* HA!**

**I couldn't decide which two lines I should have Pancake say before she fell. Number one was "Fly you fools" and number two was "Scar… brother! Help me!" So I decided for her just to say nothing and fall in silence. Read the next chapter, and be sure to review this one! (seriously, PLEASE review)**


	8. Vanished

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

Chapter 8

Vanished

The fall was like nothing Pancake had experienced. Of all the dangers of the Beyond to die of… falling into a volcano? This was one of the top things on her "Never-ever-ever-ever List" that she decided to make as she was slipping. But now her greatest fear had become a reality: she _had_ fallen into a volcano that_ was_ active and _was_ going to fry her fur off.

Pancake knew the drop was less than twenty feet, but it felt longer. At last, she came in contact, but not what with she expected. She landed on a rocky surface where she opened her eyes and stood. The ledge she stood on was large enough to fit two wolves on it, but she wondered _how_ it was there.

As she had fallen, the wind had been funneled into the volcano, swirling the smoke and flames, and even Pancake. Thankfully, it had blown her against the side where a little ledge stuck out. _I'm safe,_ she thought. _I'm safe until the lava rises. Number two on my Never-ever-ever-ever List: to be slowly melted in a volcano._ She peeked off the edge, seeing the lava down below. It had many feet to go, but it was clearly rising.

Pancake lifted her head up to the dark, smoking sky. It was so cold-looking in her eyes, being stuck in the burning volcano. But she knew Narkrin was waiting for her—mourning for her death. "Narkrin!" she yelled. "Narkrin, I'm okay!"

Her cries were faintly heard, but Narkrin knew there was nothing that could get Pancake out of there. She could not jump out, for the walls jutted out until they were over her head. The Exile knew this was her fate, though it was hard to believe. _How big is this place?_ She thought, looking around. The air was thick with ash, but Pancake could faintly see the black walls surrounding. This was a particularly narrow volcano, and if it were not, Pancake would have had a better chance of escaping.

After maybe a minute she began to pant with the heat, tears streaming down her face as the wind blew smoke into her eyes. The burnt rock flying about was turning her fur black, and once a spark caught her on fire. "Wah!" Pancake yipped, surprised. She began to jump about on her little platform, slamming herself against the wall and rolling on the ground. The fire was little, and it was not all that worse than the surrounding air. Pancake knew she was losing feeling, but she _could_ feel herself on fire.

Without realizing it, she took a roll towards the end of the ledge. With another yelp, she took notice and jumped back against the wall. Her pants were restless, but she ceased all together as two things happened at once.

First, Pancake heard the distinct sound of rock cracking beneath her. Second, the lava began to dance and spurt, unlike it had previously. _Okay,_ Pancake thought, taking furious deep breaths as her eyes grew wide. _It's coming… it's here. This is it—my end… I'll never see my home again, or a blue sky, or Narkrin._ The ledge let out a giant snap, lowering a bit. A few pieces from underneath crumbled, weakening it further.

A few yards across from the ledge, a few rocks crumbled from the wall, making a hole. _Why couldn't it have been closer? _Pancake whined in her head. She knew there was no way she could jump into it.

Out of the hole popped a head, searching frantically through the smoke. "Pancake!" Faolan gasped. "Are you okay?"

Pancake raised her voice, but it was scratched and hardly sounded like her. "What does it look like, Faolan? I'm about to be burnt to a… to a crisp—" she stopped short, coughing. Her throat felt as if it were on fire.

"Pancake, you have to jump to me!" yelled Faolan. He could hardly hear anything over the sound of the erupting lava rising ever faster. "There is no other way!"

"I figured that," replied Pancake once her episode of coughing was over. "But I have two problems: my right forepaw is twisted since it hit the top of the volcano, and my rump is burnt! I can't jump!"

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

Pancake paused, taking a hesitant look down at her death. "Burn to death—I don't know! You're closer to safety, you figure it out!" She hoped she wasn't being too bossy, but she had the right.

Faolan sighed, looked around, and then back at her. "I just came up with a brilliant idea: you jump over here!"

"Augh!" Pancake growled, hanging her head. "I'll try, Faolan! And if I don't make it…"

There was a short silence before Faolan nodded. "I get it."

Pancake nodded. By now she did not look or sound like the same dog with her voice scratched and her entire body jet black. "Alright!" she shouted. "I'm ready." She scooted as far back as she could, crouched, and then took a little jump forward until she reached the other side of the ledge. From there, she kicked off (which made the ledge crumble completely), soaring over the golden/read lava, through the smoke, and right towards Faolan.

Her leap would have gotten her into the hole, if she had aimed herself just right. Faolan stretched out his paw as far as he could, yelping as Pancake clung to it and almost dragged it down. With a little groan of discomfort, Faolan dipped his head down, set his teeth into a firm grip on her scruff, and lifted her into the hole.

First, Pancake licked Faolan to thank him. But next she jumped off towards the light, tripping over her wounded paw and face-planting. "Are you okay?" Faolan said, coming to her side.

Pancake picked herself up slowly, panting heavily. "Honestly," she said, giving him a little glance. "I doubt I've been any better." With that, she jumped up and ran, moving quickly with a limp leg.

When she had burst out of the lava tunnel, she ran down the side of the volcano, searching frantically for Narkrin. The pain in her bleeding paw was nothing to her: all she could feel was the cool air. "You're alright!" Snowdon yelped, licking her. He paused while lapping his tongue in and out in disgust.

Pancake laughed. "You can lick me once I've cleaned myself off," she advised. Looking around, she caught sight of a devastated black wolf, sitting with his head low beside Pancake's cairn. The shepherd began to silently trot away from Snowdon, breaking into a gallop once she was within twenty feet. "Narkrin!" she yelled, colliding with him.

He turned and looked at her with shock. "Pancake!" he cried, nuzzling her. "I was so afraid you were gone—I had no idea there was a way out. How did you make it? What happened to your fur?"

"I fell on a ledge—Faolan came through a lava tunnel and told me to jump to him." Pancake tried to clear her scratched throat, but it was no use. "Anyway, the smoke and soot did this to me. I'd think it was pretty if I had got it in another way." She licked his muzzle, nuzzling him affectionately. "I couldn't stop thinking of you in there." she lowered her voice in saying this. "I knew I'd never see you again; I knew it. But now I will, and I have, and my life isn't over. Miracles come from everywhere and anything."

Narkrin and a few of the Watch Wolves took Pancake to the river and washed her off, but she kept the tending of her wounds to herself. It was suggested by some that a search party would be made for Ghost, but Faolan did not advise it. "Where can Ghost go?" he asked. "Nowhere. He cannot go back to Pancake's country or onto the MacNaan territory. It is clear he _was_ on our side and _against _the MacNaans. He is stuck on our side of the Beyond with our packs." he sighed, nodding. "All of you chieftains and your packs, you may return to your territories."

As the next few days dragged, on, Pancake did not see much improvement in her paw, much less her voice. Some curious events had occurred in the last few days; Faolan, a few weeks before, had arranged another Blood Watch. Wolves were spread miles apart this time to make sure the MacNaans and MacHeaths came no closer to the Beyond any longer, and so far all was well. That is, until a young wolf from the MacDonegal Clan rushed in, seeking for the Fengo. "Where is he?" she asked frantically.

"In his den," Padraigh sighed, annoyed with her high-pitched voice.

"Um, thanks," the she-wolf, whose named was Luna, dashed off towards the den and burst in without any permission. "Fengo?"

Faolan jumped with surprise as the pale wolf stared at him. "Who are you?"

"Eh—Luna, of the MacDonegals," she replied quickly.

Faolan looked less interested. "Well, what is it?"  
"W—Well I'm with the Blood Watch," she said, raising his interests. "And we had a little issue."  
"Issue?"

Luna shrank in her pelt. "Sorry, sir. _Peculiar_ issue. Not little. Forgive me; my mind sometimes just goes crazy, ya know? Sometimes I talk slow and nice, and other times I just go insane! One time I even…"

Faolan sighed. _This is the puffins all over again,_ he thought. "Alright, what was the peculiar issue?" he asked, cutting her off.

"The MacNaans are gone," Luna said quickly. "And we aren't sure why. So we decided to gather together some wolves and go and find out."  
Faolan's eyes widened. "_Unauthorized_? Why would you do that? The possibilities of war are endless if you did that! I can imagine you were all wounded! What _cag mag_ wolf decided on taking you into their territory?"

Luna looked a little frightened at his new tone. "Well, sir, if it makes any different, it was Myrr's idea."

Faolan's face lost expression. "Oh," he muttered.

"But that's not all that happened! We went all over both territories, and we didn't find any wolves! It is as simple as this, sir: the MacNaans and MacHeaths are gone."  
Faolan eyed her, surprised. "Gone?"

"Yes! They're gone, disappeared, vanished!"

Faolan ran past her, galloping down the hill from his cave, and into Edme's den where Pancake lay as well. "The Outclanners are gone," he cried quickly.

"Huh?"  
"I don't know how, but they are," he panted. "Where could they have gone? The Ice Bridge?"

"Possibly," Edme said, beginning to stand, but Pancake slowly pushed her back down.

"Edme, you don't need to get involved in this." Pancake looked back towards Faolan. "They might have gone on the Ice Bridge, but wouldn't we have seen them?" Her glance was cast to the floor at a disturbing thought. "Or they discovered a strange den in their territory."

Faolan's eyes widened. "We have to get over there—now!" he turned around, running out of the den. "Snowdon! Assemble a _byrrgis_!"

"Why?" inquired Snowdon. "I heard no _skreeleen_ call for a herd of caribou; did you see one yourself?"

"No; we're making an attack. Hurry, now—we have to be quick!" he ran off towards the Hot Gates to contact the nearest pack.

* * *

With Faolan in the lead, a small band of Beyond wolves made their way towards Thunderheart's Den. Pancake and Narkrin stayed close together in fear that the Exiles had been attacked, and maybe the two of them were the last survivors. Pancake made a fine guess: Ghost _did_ return to Colorado, and the MacNaans saw him do it. They had killed him and the Exiles; maybe some other neighboring packs as well.

Padraigh, being a scout (he was a wind scout, but they sent him anyway), went to search the deep and dark hallway of Thunderheart's Den, searching for MacNaan or MacHeath wolves. The wolves of the Beyond waited on the outside, eyeing the vast territory around them. It felt strange to just walk in without being attacked. They waited for a sound of clearance, or maybe the sound of wolves attacking each other. But there was only silence. "Where is he?" Maudie asked, her red, bushy tail swishing with boredom.

_What made you think we knew?_ Pancake thought. "We don't know, Maud," Banja spoke for her.

At last, Padraigh returned. "Clear," he said, stepping out and allowing Faolan to enter. The Beyond wolves poured in, tired of being out in the open within Outclanner territory. They could be running through a false alarm, but then again, could they be starting a war as well?


	9. Through the Den

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

Chapter 9

Through the Den

Sneakily, the wolves trotted into Colorado. It was strange to know they were in an entire new world, but they had to keep their eyes peeled for enemies. So far, they saw nothing, and no sign of MacNaan or MacHeath wolves, which made them believe those menaces were hiding from them.

The wolves gasped as Faolan's ear flicked, signaling for them to stop. "_Vrychtong_!" he cried hastily, crouching.

"Huh?" Pancake asked as all of the other wolves got down.

"It means get down!" Snowdon growled, pulling her down. "Faolan, what's the trouble?"

Faolan looked ahead carefully. "There's a wolf up ahead." he whispered back. "Two of them! One of them is shall, so I think we can take and interrogate them."

"I'll go," Leitha volunteered.

"Me too," said Snowdon; he would not let Leitha go alone.

Banja groaned. "I guess I'll go too," she said, walking low towards the other two. "That's enough to beat them. Remember, stay quiet so no other wolves hear us."

With that said, the three trotted out from their hiding places, and then broke into a run. Snowdon and Leitha, being the larger ones, reached the wolves first. Snowdon took down the largest, and Leitha the smallest, leaving Banja with little to do. The little enemy wolf was yelping like crazy as they held him down, but the larger was hardly backing down. "Let us go!" they cried, trying to break away.

They were both dragged back towards the group of Beyond wolves, panting with shock. "What is to become of us?" the larger asked to Faolan.

"Can you move?" Pancake growled to a wolf. "I can't see them!"

"What is your plan?" Faolan barked angrily. "You think we will have you taking our land and Colorado? Tell us everything, lest we have you killed!" Faolan did not mean to kill them, for that would surly begin a war. He just wanted to make them fear him.

Pancake and Narkrin finally broke through the surrounding wolves, laying eyes upon the captives. "For goodness sake, Faolan, let them go!" Pancake barked angrily. She did not meant to sound aggressive, but she felt stressed and forgotten.

"These are no MacNaans—they are Exiles!" exclaimed Narkrin, nudging the two wolves up.

The littler of the two, Imnus, shook his head. "Ouch…" he groaned, blinking.

"Sorry about that," Leitha laughed.

"No, it's fine," the larger, West, assured her.

"It's not like that was our first time being accused as criminals and almost killed," stated Imnus. "But why would you think we were MacNaans? What are the chances they would come here?"

"Well, they aren't in the Beyond anymore," Pancake said plainly. "The Exiles would have noticed."

Faolan growled. "Then why have we come?" he barked.

Imnus yipped with delight. "Well, Pancake—aren't you glad? You're home without a fight!"  
Pancake smiled. "I suppose you're right," she said. "But that does not mean the MacNaans are still gone. There is no knowing where they have disappeared to!"

The wolves yelped with surprise as there came a very loud bark from behind. Each head turned and each ear was tipped upward as they spotted the sound's source: a wolf with dark fur. "There they are!" he yelled.

"I, yi, yi!" The Whistler yelped, jumping with surprise. "It's Naan!"

"Who's Naan?" West asked.

"The chieftain of the MacNaans, you idiot!" the Whistler barked, racing away.

Many wolves seemed to come from nowhere, chasing after the little brigade at full speed. "Disperse!" Faolan yelled as the wolves scattered in different directions to flee.

Pancake soon found herself alone, racing away from the hubbub. Was anyone left behind or caught? Surly Imnus had not escaped… should she check? _Huh_? She thought as another sound came to her ears. All along she had only heard the tramping of her paws on dirt and grass, but now another sound came to her ears. It was another, yet deeper _thumpity-thump-thumpity-thump_ coming from her right.

As she looked that way, a MacHeath burst through the trees. They were going just about the same speed, but he was edging in closer to her. Pancake knew not what to do, so she barked at him, letting her fur stand in intimidation. He only snarled back, edging closer and closer.

Pancake saw a relieving sight up ahead, and because it was drawing closer, she quickened her pace. The MacHeath looked at the chain fence in confusion; what was it supposed to be? He had to forget this, for Pancake looked as if she was glad it was there. So as they came within five yards of it, he made a jump for her.

His claws almost touched her back, but she leaped as well, right towards the fence. She collided with it, causing it to release a loud rattling sound as she tried to climb up it. Surprisingly, the MacHeath had been pushed down by someone.

Pancake looked down with surprise. "Clark!" she cried with joy. "What are you doing here?"

"I was walking about when I saw Beyond wolves, and new something was wrong. I saw you and that MacHeath wolf running by, so I caught up and taught him a lesson," Clark looked down at the motionless wolf he had attacked. "I think he's dazed."

Pancake smiled before looking back up towards the trees she had come from. "Clark!" she yelled, causing him to look back. Two more wolves rushed out of the trees, caught sight of them, and thrust into a gallop.

The sister of the two scrambled until she plopped down on the other side. Clark stepped back, and then pushed himself into the air. He did not make it that high, but was able to crawl into the yard before the wolves reached it, barking in anger. "Get over here and fight!" they yelled.

"Why don't you _make_ me!" barked Clark.

"Clark," Pancake muttered. "They _can_. This fence is only like nine feet."

"Oops."

Pancake sighed, turning away and trotting through the large, nicely mowed backyard. "Where is that dog?" she mumbled.

"What dog?"

"Ah! There he is!" Pancake trotted towards a dog sleeping in a corner, his neck secured with a chain. "Vita! Wake up."

"Huh?" the large tan-colored dog blinked, lifting his head from his paws. "Pancake? What are you doing here?"  
Pancake gestured to the wolves scratching at the chain fence. "They're trying to kill us. You think you could shoe them off?"

Vita stood up, stretched, and stepped onto the wooden porch he was tied to. He sighed before scratching at a screen door, whining and barking. "What's he doing?" Clark whispered to Pancake.

His sister dragged him behind cover, grinning mischievously. "Just listen," she said, hushing as the back door opened.

"Vita!" a large voice said, obviously human. His voice lowered to a whisper, saying "Who's that barking?"

Vita continued to bark.

"Fine, Vita; I'll let you off your chain." whoever the voice belonged to unleashed Vita, and for a few moments, there was a silence.

Clark came out from the other side of a wall, peeking over to see what was going on. Vita had gone inside the house, confusing his master, and was returning by dragging a giant rifle out by his teeth. "What is he doing?" Clark gasped, looking back at Pancake.

"He's leading his master to the wolves, now be quiet."

Riley, Vita's master, easily caught sight of the two wolves, grabbed the gun from the ground, and put it to use. "Whoa!" Clark gasped as Riley checked it for bullets and then cocked it. "He's going to kill them, Pancake! Since when do you allow that?"

"He won't kill them, Clark. He just scares them off, like he did Narkrin once."

Clark looked back, but jumped at a loud boom. His attentions were immediately drawn back to Vita, but instead of being shocked, he was pleased. Riley and Vita were walking back into the house, and three MacHeaths were running away with tails tucked. "Why didn't he kill them?" Clark whispered.

"He doesn't want to get sued," Pancake explained. "He'll probably be visited by a forest ranger any time now, actually."

"Well, where did he shoot?"

"Probably in the air, or maybe just on the ground. But enough with him! We have to find everyone else." she turned around, realizing they were in a corner of the yard with fence around it, and the house on one side. So she, with Clark behind her, jumped the fence and began to trot away in search of friends.

A few times it was necessary to jump behind cover and let scouting MacNaans pass, and others they had nothing to worry about. "Nothing to worry about?" Pancake growled to Clark. "I cannot find anyone! Where do you suppose they are?"

"How should I know?" barked Clark. "You've befriended them longer than I have!"

"Yes, but recently, you have been in this world more than I have. Has anything changed in the past few weeks? If not, let's keep looking." Pancake stomped onward, her brother following closely behind.

Clark thought that maybe Pancake became bossier when they discovered they were siblings. _Nah,_ Clark thought. _She's just been that bossy this entire time. _So he followed her still.

* * *

"No signs at all?" Pancake asked, concerned.

"I don't know what you mean, Pancake," Amaed said. "We saw no sign of the Exiles or of any other wolves we did not recognize. Why?"

Pancake had almost forgotten that it was important she keep the Beyond safe from her-world wolves, so she replied simply: "Nothing, Amaed. Just a little issue we had a while back." She and Clark turned and walked away sadly. It was dusk now, and there was no sign of anyone… not even any Exiles.

Both of them knew this was not good news. With MacNaans and MacHeaths around, this could not be good for anyone. "Pancake," Clark groaned as night had set in. "We're both tired of looking. You have not gone under a trot this entire time! Why can't we get some rest?"  
"Because, Clark!" Pancake turned around and stopped. "My best friends of all time are out there probably in trouble, and I am not going to waste my time _sleeping_ instead of helping them! We are not resting until someone is found." She turned back and began to trot quickly, keeping her tail horizontal and her ears up high to listen.

They walked and turned and sat and pondered for another two hours without luck, and many times Pancake was sure Clark would pass out with panting and exhaustion. _He isn't exhausted!_ Pancake thought. _He just thinks he's exhausted._ She remembered when Clark had gone on the big adventure with the Ice Bridge and the earth quakes—he was different now. He seemed more responsible, but at times, he was just as he used to be. This, as you can guess, was one of those times.

"Pancake!" Clark groaned, his paws dragging lamely. "We _have_ to stop! We can look in the morning."  
"By morning they will be farther away than they are now!" Pancake yelled, too tired to stomp. She was glad; stomping made her look bratty, and she wished she would forget how to be bratty. Sometimes she would become bossy and even yell at friends, and seconds later she would regret it. But sometimes she felt she could not have stopped herself.

"Fine!" Clark growled. "If you want to keep going, we'll keep going!" Clark was tired of complying with his sister, and began to prove her idea that he was _not_ tired. He began to gallop ahead of her, stopping just to face her. "Hurry up, will you?"  
Pancake's ears shot up and her eyes widened. "Clark, be quiet!" she lowered her voice to a whisper.

"You want to go this fast, so you will!"  
"Clark!"

"What?"

Pancake rushed forward, stopping a few inches from her brother, and looking around. "I heard something," she whispered.

"Oh yeah? What?"

"Keep quiet!" she said, lowering down. She looked around, and then slowly back at Clark with wide eyes. "Clark," she whispered.

He lowered down beside her, looking worried as well. "What?" he answered quietly.

Pancake glanced around before replying: "We aren't alone."

Clark's eyes went wide, but that was all either of them remembered as the world swirled into darkness.

**Mwahahahahahaha! I didn't think I'd update this much, but I have. Now I probably won't update for a long time **** Sorry. In fact, I may not update until I have actually finished the entire story. So I'll try to write the rest really quick!**


	10. Random Note 4 Readers

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.**

HI! This is the authoress' sister, IrishSpock. Sadly, Susie of Anna died. I'm continuing her story for her. She said in her dying breaths that she wanted me to finish it for her. So things might not be like they would have been if she had… I'm sorry.

HA! I bet you believed that for a minute, or however long it took you to read that. I'm not dead, and I'm working on finishing this story! Sorry if it has been a while. I've got a lot of other things I'm writing so it's slow. Also I'm still sketching the plan of this… it isn't perfect yet. I've been working on my FictionPress story 'Pancake and Narkrin,' and so when I get a lot of that done I'll be able to write this story easier. For example: I had to change a few stuff in Exiles of the Beyond Part II because I had changed the plans of Pancake and Clark's past. Like, the first version had Stultus coming and killing Wafer, and the second has him letting her join the pack… so yeah, different plans.

Please don't give up on this story. I'm working on it, but slowly. I know that most of you reading this haven't followed it or anything, and if you are, sorry for making you excited that there was another chapter and then it turns out that I died and my sister took it over.

Well anyways, I'll be here writing, eating cake, talking to AelitaAndWhiteboy… (If you're reading this: HI AELITA), and PM me if you have any questions or anything random like that! Thank you for your time! And yes, I'll delete this chapter and replace it with the next chapter once I've finished Exiles of the Beyond Part III and edited it all, which will take a long, LONG time. Good bye for now, live long and prosper, and eat cake.

* * *

_**-Susie of Anna-**_


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